Folding mechanism for printing machines



Nov. 29, 1938. A. M. ZUCKERMAN FOLDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed May 7, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov; 29, 1938. A. M. ZUCKERMAN' FOLDINGMECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Filed May 7, 1956 2 sheets-she t 2 iNVE-NTOR.

Patented Nov. 29, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDING MECHANISM FOR PRINTING MACHINES Application May 7, 1936, Serial No. 78,323

Claims.

This invention relates to folding mechanism and more particularly to folding mechanisms for the purpose of folding products from a printing machine such as signatures for magazines, pam- 5 phlets and the like.

In producing such types of printed matter, it is desirable in order to facilitate binding that the signatures be produced with two folds, one closing a side edge of the signature, and the other the head of the signature. When folding heavy signatures, that is, those having a large number of sheets or in which the material is comparatively stiff, the production of closed head signatures is difficult without having undesirable wrinkles 'formed at the meeting point of the two folds. In order to avoid undue Wrinkling such signatures may be passed through a folding mechanism whereby only one fold is made and open head signatures are produced. The change over from a folding mechanism for producingclosed head signatures to one producing open head signatures, in most instances, requires either considerable time consuming adjustments and rearrangements of the parts of the mechanism or the expensive acquisition of a folding mechanism particularly designed for this purpose.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an improved folding mechanism for products of the above form whereby either open or closed head signatures may be produced as desired.

Another object is to provide a signature folding mechanism which may be readily adapted to produce either open or closed head signatures by the rearrangement of comparatively simple and conveniently disposed devices.

A further object is to provide a folding mechanism including the combination of three cylinders each having means cooperating With means on another cylinder, which may be readily adapted to permit the production of either open or closed head signatures as desired.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a folding mechanism of generally improved construction, whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, as well as convenient, practical, serviceable and efiicient in its use.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, whichwill appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed.

The preferred embodiment-of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where- Figure 1 is aside view of a folding mechanism embodying the features of this invention;

Figure 2 is an end view of the same, looking in the direction of arrow 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view of the folding, cutting 5 and collecting cylinders partly in transverse section; and

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3, but showing another arrangement of the parts.

The folding mechanism illustrated, is shown associated with a portion of a printing machine I l at the point where the variousprinted webs l2 running over guide rollers l3 are beingbrought together and passed between a pair of nipping rollers l4 and I5. From the rollers l4 and-l5, the webs I2 are directed between cylinders l6 and I1, and then between cylinders l1 and I8 which actthereon according to the principles of this invention as will be hereinafter described. The products from the cylinders I6, "and "3 are directed over and between guide rollers I9 andpositioned for operation thereon by a chopper blade folder 2 l, which-as herein shown may include a blade 22 adapted to vertically reciprocate and feed the signatures between a pair of folding rollers 23 and- 24, from which they are received by a collector 25,- transferred to a carrier belt 26 and removed from the machine.

Suitable mechanism, not shown, but well knownin the art, will be understood to be provided for driving the various drivenparts at the proper speeds in synchronism with the machine operation. It will be further understood that the webs l2 have been previously stripped from a web or webs and brought together in this instance, only four being shown. It will also be understood that the chopper blade folder 2| is of the well known type and its operation is in timed relation with the printing machine, operating lever mechanism, indicated at 21, being provided for causing vertical reciprocation thereof.

The cylinders 16 and I1 referring to Figures 3 and 4, and as described above, receive the webs l2 therebetween from rollers l4 and I5 and are provided. with means to cut the webs into different 45 sizes of sheets, a long sheet by the arrangement and means shown in Figure 3, and a short sheet by the arrangement and means shown in Figure 4. The cylinder l5, hereinafter termed the cuttingcylinder, is adapted to be provided with web cut-- ting knives or blades 3|, 32 and 33. These knives are removably mounted in pockets 34, each of which ispositioned to be disposedopposite a cutting rubber 35. provided i'ncylinder ll. when-the cylinders are rotated. 55

The cylinder l1, hereinafter termed the collecting and tucking cylinder, is provided with a corresponding number of cutting rubbers 35 to cooperate with the knives 3|, 32 and 33 of the cylinder "5. This cylinder is also provided with collecting and carrying means herein shown as swingable pin points 36, 3! and 38 suitably adapted and operable to collect and carry the sheets cut by the aforesaid knives, and with a tucking blade 4| suitably operated to cooperate with a sheet folding jaw 42 provided on the cylinder l8. The cylinder I3, hereinafter termed the folding and transfer cylinder, is provided with carrying means herein shown as swingable pin points 43 and 44 whereby sheets from the pin points 31 and 38 respectively are transferred and carried to the guide rollers l9. It is to be understood that in place of the pin points shown, other means adapted to carry the signature may be provided, such as the well known grippers.

It is to be understood that the above mentioned pin points 36, 3'! and 38 in the tucking cylinder I! and the pin points 43 and 44 in the folding cylinder l8 are adapted to be released from the usual means causing their swinging movement in timed relation with the rotation of the respective cylinder. It is also to be understood that the tucking blade 4! in the cylinder l! and the cooperating jaw 42 in the cylinder l8 may also be readily. caused to be inoperative by releasing them from the effect of their usual actuating means.

The arrangement provided by this invention is such that when it is desired to produce signatures having closed heads, the alternately acting cutting knives 32 and 33 in cylinder IS are caused to be inoperative by entirely removing them from the respective pocket 34, the cutting knife 3! being retained in its pocket 34 in operative condition. ,The operation of the alternately acting pin points 3! and 38 in cylinder [1 is prevented while the alternately acting, pin point 36 and the tucking blade 4|, are retained in operating condition. The operation of the alternately acting pin points 43 and 44 in cylinder I8 is prevented and the jaw 42 is retained in operating condition. In view of the above described arrangement, which is illustrated in Figure 3, the webs 2 feeding between the cylinders Ill and I! are cut into sheets of double page length by the blade 3| acting against the rubber 35, collected and carried by the pinpoint-36 about the cylinder H, and tucked into the jaw 42 by the tucking blade 4|. The jaw 42 grips the sheets as well as folds them the first time and carries them in once folded condition to the guide rollers l9 whereby they are disposed in the path of the vertically reciprocating chopper blade 22, which directs them between the folding rollers 23 and 24 for the second fold, which, in the particular instance illustrated, is at right angles to the first fold,

To obtain signatures having open heads, the

arrangement according to this invention is that ing pin points 43 and 44 in cylinder l8 are placed in operative condition. By the above latter described arrangement, which is illustrated in Figure 4, the webs l2 are cut into one page long sheets, collected and carried by the pin points 3'] and 38 about the cylinder engaged by the pin points 43 and 44 in the cylinder l8, and thereby delivered to the rollers IQ for disposition beneath the chopper blade 22 to be folded only once as above described.

By the use of the pin points 36, in the first arrangement as shown in Figure 3, and the pin points 31 and 38, in the arrangement as shown in Figure 4, the cylinder I! may be operated to collect a plurality of sheets if such operation thereof is required, by operating the tucking blade 4| and the jaw 42 only on every second, third or other alternate revolution, and correspondingly changing the operation of the pins 36, so a plurality of sheets will be collected before they are transferred to the cylinder |8.

It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and it will be further understood that each and every novel feature and combination present in or possessed by the mechanism herein disclosed forms a part of the invention included in this application.

What I claim is:

1. In a folding mechanism, a first cylinder having provision for mounting a plurality of web cutting knives thereof, a second cylinder having sheet collecting pin points each adapted to be made inoperative and arranged to correspond with the knives mounted on said first cylinder, each being adapted to remove sheets cut by the corresponding knife, mounted on said first cylinder, a sheet tucking blade adapted to be made inoperative on said second cylinder, and a third cylinder having a sheet gripping jaw adapted to be made inoperative for cooperation with said tucking blade when the latter is operative, and sheet transferring pin points corresponding to pin points on said second cylinder, whereby sheets cut from the web by one of said cutting knives may be either collected by a pin point on said second cylinder, engaged and folded by cooperation of said tucking blade thereon and the jaw on said third cylinder, or cut from the web by others of said knives, collected by others of the pin points on said second cylinder, and transferred therefrom by the pin points on said third cylinder.

'2. In a folding mechanism, in combination, a first cylinder having a plurality of peripherally spaced apart recesses to receive operable and removable web cutting members therein, two of said recesses being diametrally opposite, a second cylinder cooperating with the first cylinder and having a plurality of peripherally spaced apart selectively operable and inoperable sheet collecting members and a selectively operable and inoperable tucking blade thereon, two of said sheet collecting members being diametrically opposite and adapted to coincide with cutting members in the diametrically opposite recesses to collect sheets cut thereby when said first and second cylinders are rotated, and a third cylinder cooperating with the second cylinder and having a selectively operableand inoperable sheet gripping jaw adapted to cooperate with said tucking blade to fold a sheet and a plurality of selectively operable and inoperable sheet collecting members thereon, two of the sheet collecting members on said third cylinder being diametrically opposite to cooperate with the diametrically opposed sheet collecting members on said second cylinder when the second and third cylinders are rotated.

3. In a folding mechanism, in combination, a firstcylinder having a plurality of peripherally spaced apart recesses to receive operable and removable web cutting ,members' therein, two of said recesses being diametrally opposite, a second cylinder cooperating with the first cylinder,

and having a plurality of peripherally spaced apart selectively operable and inoperable sheet collecting members and a selectively operable and inoperable tucking blade thereon, two of said sheet collecting members being diametrically opposite and adapted to coincide with cutting members in the diametrically opposite recesses to collect sheets cut thereby when said first and second cylinders are rotated, and a third cylinder cooperating with the second cylinder and having a selectively operable and inoperable sheet gripping jaw adapted to cooperate with said tucking blade to fold a sheet and a plurality of selectively operable and inoperable sheet collecting members thereon, two of the sheet collecting members on said third cylinder being diametrically opposite to cooperate with the diametrically opposed sheet collecting members on said second cylinder when the second and third cylinders are rotated, a pair of sheet folding rollers, and meansto receive folded and unfolded sheets from said third cylinder and to direct them toward the sheet folding rollers.

4. In a folding mechanism, in combination, a first cylinder having a plurality of peripherally spaced apart recesses to receive operable and removable web cutting members therein, two of said recesses being diametrally opposite, a second cylinder cooperating with the first cylinder and having a plurality of peripherally spaced apart selectively operable and inoperable sheet.

collecting members and a selectively operable and inoperable tucking blade thereon, two of said sheet collecting members being diametrically opposite and adapted to coincide with cutting members in the diametrically opposite recesses to collect sheets cut thereby when said first and second cylinders are rotated, a third sheet collecting member disposed diametrically opposite the tucking blade and adapted to cooperate with a cutting member mounted in a recess on the first cylinder to collect sheets cut thereby, and a third cylinder cooperating with the second cylinder and having a selectively operable and inoperable sheet gripping jaw adapted to cooperate with said tucking blade to fold a sheet and a plurality of selectively operable and inoperable sheet collecting members thereon, two of the sheet collecting members on said third cylinder being diametrically opposite to cooperate with the diametrically opposed sheet collecting members on said second cylinder when the second and third cylinders are rotated.

5. In a printing machine having a folding mechanism adapted to deliver a first product singly cut and twice folded or a second product twice cut and once folded, a cutting cylinder operable with one cutting knife arranged for cutting sheets from a web to form first products to be twice folded, and also operable with two cutting knives arranged for cutting sheets from the web to form second products to be folded once, a cooperating cylinder, a forwarding means, and a folding mechanism adapted to operate on either said first or said second products as received from the forwarding means, said cooperating cylinder having selectively operable means for folding first products and transferring them to the forwarding means, or transferring said second products to the forwarding means unfolded.

6.;.In a printing machine, mechanism to form a firstproduct singly cut and twice folded or a second product. twice cut and once folded, a cutting cylinder havingprovision tohave mounted thereon a plurality of cutting members with one member arranged to cut sheets from a web to form the first product and with at least two cutting members arranged'to cut sheets from a web to form the second product, amechanism coopcrating with thecutting cylinder, a sheet forwarding device, and a sheet folding mechanism to act upon the first and second products as received from the forwarding device, the cooperating mechanism having selectively operable means to fold and transfer sheets to form the first product and to transfer sheets to form the second product.

'7. In a machine adapted to operate upon a plurality of webs, a first cylinder to receive the webs from said machine and having cutting members thereon adapted to be arranged to cut the webs into sheets of a selected size, a second cylinder having means thereon to collect and carry the cut sheets away from said cutting means, and a third cylinder having means thereon to take the sheets from the collecting means and transfer them, a folding device to which the sheets are transferred, said second and third cylinders having cooperating sheet folding means thereon, the collecting and carrying means, the taking and transferring means, and the sheet folding means being adapted to be arranged to selectively collect and transfer sheets from the first cylinder to the folding device, and to collost and fold sheets and then transfer them to the folding device.

8. In a machine for operating upon a web, a-

third rotatable cylinder having sheet gripping and folding means thereon to cooperate with said folding means on said second cylinder to grip and fold the sheets being acted on thereby and having a pair of alternately acting sheet transferring means thereon to cooperate with the set of sheet collectingv means on said second cylinder to receive unfolded sheets therefrom, and means to receive folded and unfolded sheets from said third rotatable cylinder and fold them.

9. In a sheet folding mechanism, a first cylinder and a second cylinder, said cylinders having cooperating means to cut sheets from a web feeding between said cylinders, said means being selectively operable to cut sheets of different sizes, means on said second cylinder adapted to be made operative to remove one size of cut sheets from between said cylinders, and means on said second cylinder adapted to be made operative to fold the sheets, said second cylinder having means cooperating with said folding means on said second cylinder when the latter is operative to receive and fold sheets therefrom and direct them toward the folding device, said third cylinder also having sheet transferring means thereon adapted to be made operative to transfer unfolded sheets from said removing means on said second cylinder when said folding means on the third cylinder is inoperative and to transfer unfolded sheets from the second cylinder when said folded sheet receiving means is inoperative, and to direct them toward said folding device.

I 10. In a folding mechanism, a first cylinder having provision for mounting a plurality of web cutting knives thereon, two of said knives being disposed diametrally opposite, a second cylinder having a plurality of sheet'collecting pin points each adapted to be made operative and inoperative, two of said pin points being diametrally opposite and cooperating with said diametrally opposite knives on said first cylinder, a sheet tucking blade on said second cylinder and adapted to be made operative and inoperative, and a third cylinder having a sheet gripping jaw cooperating with said tucking blade and adapted to be made operative and inoperative, said third cylinder also having sheet transferring pin points, said pin points on said third cylinder being diametrally opposite and cooperating with said diametrally opposite pin points on said second cylinder.

11. In a folding mechanism, a first cylinder having provision for mounting a plurality of Web cutting knives thereon, two of said knives being diametrally opposite, a second cylinder having a plurality of sheet collecting pin points each adapted to be made inoperative, two of said pin points being diametrally opposite and cooperating with said diametrally opposite knives on said first cylinder, and a third pin point cooperating with another of said knives, a sheet tucking blade adapted to be made inoperative on said second cylinder and disposed diametrically opposite the thirdpin point, and a third cylinder having a sheet gripping jaw adapted to be made inoperative for cooperation with said tucking blade and also sheet transferring pin points, said pin points on said third cylinder being diametrally opposite and cooperating with said diametrally opposite pin points on said second cylinder.

12. In a printing machine, a sheet folding mechanism including a first cylinder, a second cylinder cooperating, with said first cylinder to receive a web therebetween and cut it into sheets of predetermined size, a third cylinder cooperating with said second cylinder, and cooperating means on said second and third cylinders to selectively fold and transfer cut sheets of one size and collect and transfer unfolded sheets of another size.

13. In a printing machine, a sheet folding mechanism including a first cylinder, a second cylinder, and a third cylinder, said first and second cylinders, and said second and third cylinders arranged to operate as cooperating pairs, and cooperating means on each cylinder of each pair, the first and second cylinder being adapted to receive a web therebetween and having cooperating means to selectively cut sheets of different sizes from the web, and said second and third cylinders having means operable to adapt them to selectively deliver folded or unfolded sheets therefrom.

14. In a printing machine, a sheet folding mechanism including a first cylinder, a second cylinder, a third cylinder, said first and second cylinders, and said second and third cylinders arranged to operate as cooperating pairs, and cooperative means on each cylinder of each pair, the first and second cylinder being adapted to receive a web therebetween and having cooperating means to selectively cut sheets of different sizes from the web, and said second and third cylinders having means operable to adapt them to selectively deliver folded or unfolded sheets therefrom, a sheet folding device, and means to receive a sheet from said second and third cylinders and dispose it in position to be folded by said folding device.

15. In a signature folding mechanism adapted to be actuated to selectively form an unfolded and a folded signature by including, a first rotatable cylinder, said first cylinder having spaced recesses to receive a plurality of removable web cutting knives thereon, two of which are disposed opposite to each other and adapted to be alternately operated at each revolution of said cylinder, a second cylinder, said second cylinder cooperating with the first cylinder and having a tucking blade and a signature collecting pin point disposed opposite each other which are adapted to be alternately operated at each revolution of said second cylinder, and also having oppositely disposed pin points adapted to be alternately operated at each revolution of said cylinder, and a third cylinder, said third cylinder cooperating with the second cylinder and having a signature gripping jaw adapted to be operated at each revolution of said cylinder, and oppositely disposed signature transferring pin points adapted to be alternately operated at each revolution of said cylinder.

ADOLPI-I M. ZUCKERMAN.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION. I Patent No. 2,15s,0 L;. v November 29,195

' ADOLPH M. ZUCKERMAN.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the aboye numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, second column, line 50, claim 1, for the word "thereof" read --thereon-; line 1L2, same claim, after "points" insert --adapted to be made inoperative--; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conformtothe record of the case in. the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 29th day of April, A. D. 19L 1.

Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents 

